


What Are You Thinking About, My King?

by CuriousRebel



Series: The King's Love [5]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Fluffy, M/M, Post-Wedding, Slight Hurt/Comfort, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2017-11-27
Packaged: 2019-02-07 03:52:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12832725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CuriousRebel/pseuds/CuriousRebel
Summary: Merlin hums out of nowhere,” I can hear you thinking, you know.”I smile despite myself,” Can you really? Is that a magic thing or what?”I can feel his laugh in my chest. He moves to look up at me, that keen intelligence that I’ve always loved shining in his eyes.Merlin and Arthur reassure each other about the future on their wedding night.





	What Are You Thinking About, My King?

**Author's Note:**

> Final part of The King's Love. Loved writing this series. Hope you enjoyed!

The moonlight is cool and clean, like a new slate. It gives the perfect resonance for a wedding night. My wedding night. And Merlin’s. I can hardly believe it.   
Merlin shifts in my arms, his lips brushing gently against my neck. I tuck his head under my chin, pulling him close. I can’t describe how amazing it feels to hold him after all these years. He’s stayed with me for so long, by my side, willing to suffer through hell to keep me safe. I swear I will always do the same for him. I can’t lose him now, when we’ve finally gotten to this.   
Merlin hums out of nowhere,” I can hear you thinking, you know.”  
I smile despite myself,” Can you really? Is that a magic thing or what?”   
I can feel his laugh in my chest. He moves to look up at me, that keen intelligence that I’ve always loved shining in his eyes.   
“What are you thinking about, my King?” He whispers, ghosting his fingers across the skin of my chest.   
I lean down and capture his lips with mine. “You, half the time.”   
He laughs again. I love making him laugh. He snuggles closer and presses his nose against my throat.   
“Really, Arthur, what’s wrong?” His voice is steady and fond, in that way that sometimes makes me wish that we were teenagers and not at all royal or magical so that it wouldn’t cause upheaval if we moved into a cabin in the woods and never saw hide nor hair of anyone ever again.  
“My father would not approve. Of you and I, that is.” There’s a beat of silence, and for a moment I regret saying anything at all. I’ve voiced this particular worry to many people, and they all seem to give me the same answer, that ‘he would understand’ or ‘he would’ve just wanted me to be happy’. I know, really, that my father would not understand and that he did want me to be happy; as long as me being happy meant that I married a woman of high stature and carried on the line of succession.  
But, as I’ve found out many times during our days together, Merlin is not most people, and so he just says,“ No, I suppose he wouldn’t.”  
“It’s not that I regret it. I mean, you, Merlin, you mean the world to me.” I whisper into his hair.   
He chuckles quietly,” I can’t believe you made me think you were going to marry one of those snobbish princes.”   
“Well I could hardly tell you who I was intending to marry.” I say.  
He hums unsurely,” Yeah, I suppose.”  
I angle our heads so I can look him in the eye. “Why, you weren’t jealous, were you, Merlin?”  
He scoffs and buries his face back into my chest,” You wish.” I stay knowingly silent and a moment later he says,” Well. Maybe a little.”  
I grin into his scalp, feeling a little guilty at how happy this makes me. Merlin speaks again, and this time his voice is small and serious,” I know Uther wouldn’t’ve approved, Arthur, but think of all of the other things you’ve done that he wouldn’t’ve liked. Stopping the war against Magic, for one. Time moves on, Arthur, and things have to change, however little we might like it.”  
He moves to look me in the eye, smiling comfortingly. I just shake my head in amazement.   
“Are you sure you’re the same Merlin who trips over his boots every five minutes?” I ask, a little befuddled. I’ve always known – however much I’ve made fun – that Merlin is amazingly diplomatic and incredibly brave and strong, but sometimes it seems to come out of nowhere and leaves me feeling a bit dizzy.  
He just grins lazily back at me, and I can see the resemblance instantly,” Oh, there he is.”  
We lay in companionable silence, listening to the crackle of the dying fire and the sounds of the birds settling down in the trees outside. I think back on today, and everything blurs together a bit. It was hectic. But a good kind of hectic.  
I remember the flutter in my stomach as I waited for Merlin to arrive; constantly sneaking nervous glances at Gaius and Gwen, both of whom seemed overwrought with joy. I remember the moment they opened the doors to reveal Merlin in clothing more expensive than anything I’d ever seen him wear. I remember the way he kept his eyes on mine as he walked the length of the room towards me. I remember him standing in front of me, smiling warmly as Geoffrey wed us. I think of him bowing to the people, and of their cheers for their new King. Well, he’s not quite my fellow King yet, but as soon as he’s coroneted he will be.  
“We’ll have to get preparations for your coronation underway tomorrow.” I murmur into his dark locks, feeling sleepy as the day catches up with me.  
Merlin stays quiet, and I can feel his muscles tense a little. “What’s wrong?”   
He buries closer to me and tangles our legs, then speaks so quietly that I’m surprised I even hear him,” I just don’t want to let you down, Arthur.”  
My heart stops in my chest, and I pull him as close as possible, mashing my cheek into the top of his head,” You could never let me down, Merlin.”   
“But what if I’m no good? What if the people don’t like me?” He whispers, sounding more and more worried.  
“Merlin.” I placate, rubbing a hand up and down his back,” You’ve been my most reliable source of advice for years now. Your level-headedness isn’t going to disappear just because it’s the council asking your opinion instead of me. And the people? Merlin, your name was spread through the kingdom with love and praise when you were just a serving boy. People love you, and that isn’t going to change just because you’re King.”  
He’s quiet for a moment, but I can feel him relaxing against me.  
“I love you, Arthur.”   
“And I love you, Merlin.”


End file.
